Compliance

In the Program in Occupational Therapy, students must comply with specific requirements within the program, College of Pharmacy (CoP), and Academic Health Sciences (AHS). Once students are admitted to the program they will receive instructions about how to meet compliance requirements and to maintain compliance through program completion. Students can find information about compliance requirements and policies below as well as the student handbookAcademic Health Sciences, and Boynton Health.

Compliance Requirements

  • Vaccination and Immunization Requirements for Learners in the Health Sciences
    • Measles (rubeola), mumps and rubella (two doses), or positive titre; 
    • Diptheria/Tetanus (Td) dose in the last ten (10) years; 
    • Chicken pox (varicella) series, or positive titre;
    • Pertussis later than 2005;
    • Hepatitis B series or documented immunity;
    • Evidence of tuberculosis test, or in the case of a positive TB test, results of a normal chest x-ray dated after the TB test, completed within six months prior to program start date.
  • Annual Flu Vaccination
  • COVID-19 vaccine. Not a University requirement, but may need to be required for fieldwork placements
  • Criminal Background Study
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Long-Term Disability Insurance Coverage
  • Student Services Fees
  • CPR Training (needs to be through the American Heart Association at the Health Care Provider level covering pediatric and adult)
  • Trainings 
    • Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA)
    • Bloodborne Pathogens
    • University Information Security Awareness 

Background Study

In accordance with state law, the College of Pharmacy performs criminal background checks on all enrolled students. Students who fail the background check may be prevented from participating in curricular activities involving patient contact and may be dismissed from the program. More information is available on the Background Study Requirement statement. Please contact the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) for more information on criminal background checks. Please save the background study confirmation you receive from the DHS - you are responsible for saving these results and sharing them with preceptors as necessary during your PharmD education.

Note that if you change your legal name, you are required to update the background study. Email [email protected] to start the process.

Incoming students will receive a link with instructions on how to initiate the background study in the months prior to matriculation.

Current students log in to the DHS NETStudy homepage to access their background study under "Documents."

Immunizations

AHS (Academic Health Sciences) students are required to have current immunizations and/or tests as a condition of enrollment. Students who do not comply with the AHS immunization policy will have a registration hold placed on their record. Note that some immunization series take up to six months to complete.

Students are also expected to meet site requirements for fieldwork, even when they differ from University requirements. Some sites may offer an exemption process, while others may not. The inability to meet a site's requirements may impact student placement at specific sites or the ability to engage in clinical activities.

Visit the Boynton Health Services AHS website to access information about the immunization requirements and the form that must be used to submit immunization records. 

  • Incoming students should submit documentation between June 1st and the first day of classes, only after they have received a University student ID number and their umn.edu email account is set up.
  • All OTD students are required to self-report an influenza vaccine annually. 

Please go to boynton.umn.edu/myboynton to access your immunization records and to determine what is required to become compliant.

Basic Life Support (BLS) Training

Incoming students are required to complete an approved BLS certification by the first day of class. Incoming students should submit documentation between June 1 and the first day of class.

Current students should renew before certification expires to remain in compliance at all times while a PharmD student.

The College requires all OTD students to have valid Basic Life Support (BLS) certification upon entering the OTD program and to maintain that certification throughout the program. This qualification ensures all students have demonstrated the skills necessary to respond during emergencies while participating in experiential education. Only the following certification options meet this requirement:

Training sessions for incoming and current students are held each summer at a discounted rate. These are hosted by a current student organization, and sign-up information is sent via email.

Training is valid for two years. The Office of Student Services verifies training completion. Students who do not have current certification will have a registration hold placed on their record and will not be allowed to participate in classes or fieldwork. Please send a scan or photo of your BLS certification card to 
[email protected] or bring the BLS certification card to a student services staff member.

HIPAA/BBP/ISA Training

OTD students are required to complete a series of training modules annually, including Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Bloodborne Pathogens Annual OSHA Requirement (UHS110) [required annually], and University Information Security Awareness (ISA101). Students can search for, view, and complete the training modules at training.umn.edu.

  • To verify the completion of HIPAA training, visit training.umn.edu. Click on "My Training" and click "Print Completed Training Only."
  • Mandatory Health Insurance
  • OTD students are required to have health insurance for the duration of the program.

Please visit the Office of Student Health Benefits website for more information about this coverage and the waiver process.